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This was something Xue Yuan excelled at!

After his shift, Xue Yuan took his men and carried out the task. Before curfew, he returned to his residence with his subordinates.

After dinner, Xue Yuan returned to his room. The door creaked open as he pushed it inward. Only then did he realize that another person was sitting in the darkness.

The person said, “Xue Jiuyao, did you succeed?”

It was the Emperor’s voice.

Xue Yuan pretended not to hear, calmly closing the door. The sliver of moonlight filtering through the gap gradually narrowed until it was completely shut out.

The Emperor said, “I’m asking you a question.”

Xue Yuan muttered to himself, “I think I’m hearing His Majesty’s voice. Could I have inhaled that poisonous incense as well?”

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Dwl Zwyd yrrasynble kd vbl eyajdlpp, bkp vsl cwxrkdt ytykdpv vbl vyczl. Tl pxlzzle vbl qaytaydnl sd vbl Oxrlasa. Tl xwpv byhl nsxl vs Dwl Zwyd’p alpkeldnl ekalnvzu yqvla cyvbkdt, vbl pnldv sq eyxrdlpp yde pvlyx zkdtlakdt yaswde bkx.

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Rd yd kdpvydv, Qw Zwydcyk’p zkrp olal psal qasx Dwl Zwyd’p bwdtau pwnjkdt. Tl oyp zkjl y xyd ryanble okvb vbkapv, bkp vsdtwl alzldvzlppzu rasckdt Qw Zwydcyk’p xswvb, tallekzu yde qlahldvzu oayrrkdt yaswde bkp zkrp, yp kq vaukdt vs eaykd vbl hlau calyvb qasx bkx.

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Qw Zwydcyk yzps nshlale bkp zkr, obknb qlzv yp kq y rklnl bye clld ckvvld sqq. “Dwl Kkwuys, yal usw vaukdt vs ckvl sqq y rklnl sq xu qzlpb?”

Tlyakdt vbl Oxrlasa’p pzktbv typr, Dwl Zwyd iwknjzu rwzzle bkx swv sq vbl assx. Mbl xssdzktbv oyp caktbv kd vbl nswavuyae, vbl taswde alplxczkdt y rsde pbkxxlakdt okvb obkvl zktbv. Dwl Zwyd pyv Qw Zwydcyk esod sd y pvsdl cldnb yde nblnjle bkp zkr.

Wsavwdyvlzu, kv oypd’v casjld. Jwv bkp ryzl zkrp olal qzwpble ale, yp kq pvykdle okvb qzsola fwknl. Nlydkdt nzspla, Dwl Zwyd kdbyzle vbl pollv, qzsayz pnldv.

It had been a long time since Xue Yuan had kissed him, due to the Emperor’s busy schedule and the incident where he had become slightly aroused in front of the Emperor after being called a “beast” three times. It had been one month and seven days.

Unable to resist, Xue Yuan leaned down and gently kissed him again. “I’ll be gentler next time.”

Gu Yuanbai pushed him away, thinking, no matter how gentle you are, your tongue is still so big, it’s too much, it’s annoying.

“I’ll ask you one last time, is the matter taken care of?” Gu Yuanbai frowned.

“It’s done,” Xue Yuan nodded, answering properly. “As Your Majesty instructed, his right leg is broken, without a trace.”

Gu Yuanbai felt relieved. “Very good.”

They left the courtyard together, walking along the path towards the front gate of Xue Yuan’s residence. The moon hung high in the sky, the chirping of insects and birds faintly audible. A rare sense of tranquility filled Gu Yuanbai’s heart. As they strolled by the lake, Xue Yuan suddenly took Gu Yuanbai’s hand.

Perhaps it was the beautiful scenery, or perhaps it was his pleasant mood, but Gu Yuanbai pretended not to notice and asked, “Did he beg for mercy?”

“No,” Xue Yuan pondered for a moment. “He has some backbone. First, he tried to bribe us. When that failed, he didn’t say a word and let us do it.”

“He’s a very cunning man,” Gu Yuanbai frowned. “The source of the Western Xia incense is definitely not as simple as he claims.”

Li Angyi gave Gu Yuanbai a bad feeling.

No one had ever given him this feeling before. Li Angyi was like a sharp knife hidden in cotton, ready to pierce through the harmless exterior and deliver a fatal blow.

If Gu Yuanbai couldn’t figure out his motives, he would rather kill him by mistake than let him return to Western Xia.

Xue Yuan said, “Your Majesty, you’re distracted.”

Gu Yuanbai snapped back to attention and glanced at him. “What?”

“It’s fine to think about state affairs during the day,” Xue Yuan said persuasively, gently squeezing his soft palm. “But now that it’s night, thinking about these troublesome matters will strain your mind.”

Gu Yuanbai’s lips curved into a silent smile. “I rested for five hours today.”

Xue Yuan’s eyelid twitched. “Really?”

Gu Yuanbai chuckled. “You even watch me while I take my afternoon nap. How could you not know?”

“…” Xue Yuan finally sighed. “Well, Your Majesty has had enough rest and has dealt with enough government affairs today. So let me be frank, can you just look at me and think about me while you’re with me?”

Gu Yuanbai said, “My lips still hurt.”

He said this to remind Xue Yuan that if he truly focused solely on him, his lips wouldn’t just be slightly swollen but unbroken.

Xue Yuan took it literally, frowning and carefully examining Gu Yuanbai’s lips again.

He lowered his head, his sharp eyebrows and anxious eyes just inches away, his entire being focused on Gu Yuanbai. As Xue Yuan cupped his face and gently touched his lips, Gu Yuanbai’s gaze drifted to the Adam’s apple on Xue Yuan’s neck. “It’s fine.”

But Xue Yuan didn’t let go. He lowered his head and sniffed gently, murmuring, “Your Majesty smells so sweet.”

Gu Yuanbai’s throat tickled, but he didn’t speak.

“Did Your Majesty bathe specifically to see me?” Xue Yuan chuckled softly, his ears itching, a warm flush spreading across them. “Your hair smells wonderful too.”

“Get lost,” Gu Yuanbai said slowly. “Xue Jiuyao, you really know how to flatter yourself.”

Afraid of angering him, Xue Yuan quickly changed the subject. “Your Majesty, do you remember the dried flowers you sent me?”

Gu Yuanbai: “I remember.”

Xue Yuan released the Emperor’s hand and carefully pulled a sachet from his waist. As he opened it, a floral fragrance wafted out. Xue Yuan picked out a pomegranate-red petal. “Your Majesty, these flowers taste really good. Shall I feed you one?”

Gu Yuanbai glanced inside the sachet. Half the flowers were gone. No wonder Xue Yuan had tasted of flowers and herbs when they kissed. So that was the reason.

He reached out to take the petal, but Xue Yuan put it in his own mouth instead. Then he leaned down, pushing the petal onto Gu Yuanbai’s lips with his tongue, crushing it and mixing it with the flower’s juices. After a while, he pulled back, his lips touching Gu Yuanbai’s, his voice hoarse. “Is it good?”

Gu Yuanbai’s voice was also hoarse. “More.”

Xue Yuan took out another petal and eagerly pressed it against his lips.

After the Emperor finished half a sachet of dried flowers at Xue Yuan’s residence, he boarded the carriage back to the palace.

On the way back, Gu Yuanbai covered half his face with his sleeve. The palace attendants assumed he was tired. When they arrived at his chambers, everything for washing and sleeping was prepared, waiting for him to retire.

Gu Yuanbai dismissed the attendants. “Bring me a small mirror.”

An attendant brought him a mirror and quietly withdrew. After the door closed, Gu Yuanbai lowered his sleeve and looked in the mirror. His lips were indeed swollen.

He had been careless.

He had been seduced by Xue Yuan’s charms after all.

The person in the mirror frowned slightly, his lips swollen, his hair a little disheveled, but his eyes were filled with contentment and languor. Gu Yuanbai thought, no wonder Xue Jiuyao always looked at him like he was a piece of meat. Who could resist such an expression?

He licked his lips, a twinge of pain shooting through the swollen flesh. Even the touch of his tongue was too much to bear.

How had he ended up eating an entire sachet of flower petals with Xue Yuan?

Gu Yuanbai tried to recall, but he couldn’t remember, only the image of their intertwined lips and tongues. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became, even the sensation between his lips and teeth returning.

When Xue Yuan kissed him, he had drawn closer and closer, his arms around Gu Yuanbai’s waist as if trying to meld their bodies together. Taking advantage of his strength, he had forcefully placed his leg between Gu Yuanbai’s, trapping him, preventing him from moving. Who could be so domineering?

Gu Yuanbai exhaled, reminding himself.

Don’t go to bed.

He could literally die in Xue Yuan’s bed.

But his young body was still restless, the other man’s passion igniting a fire within him. Gu Yuanbai sat for a while, then suddenly stood up and went to the table, sitting down to review memorials to calm himself.

The next day, every time Xue Yuan looked at the Emperor during his shift, his gaze seemed to carry a hidden fire that could set Gu Yuanbai ablaze.

At lunch, the Captain of the Guards said to him, “His Majesty’s lips are swollen. Apparently, he was bitten by mosquitoes. Imagine mosquitoes in the imperial bedchamber! The attendants were being careless. This morning, Head Eunuch Tian scolded them severely.”

Xue Yuan looked up from his bowl. The Captain of the Guards glanced at his mouth, his eyelid twitching. “Why are your lips swollen too?”

Xue Yuan took a bite of rice, calmly picking up a piece of meat and swallowing it. “What a coincidence, I was also bitten by mosquitoes.”

The Captain of the Guards abruptly stood up, the sudden movement causing his chair to scrape loudly against the floor. Everyone around them stopped eating and looked up at him.

The Captain of the Guards blushed, lowering his voice. “Sir Xue, don’t try to fool me.”

Xue Yuan put down his chopsticks. “Captain Zhang, you don’t believe me? I couldn’t sleep last night, so I took a walk in my garden. I stayed by the lake for a while, and there are many mosquitoes there. I was bitten not only on my lips, but also in several other places. Would you like to see?”

Seeing that he was actually about to roll up his sleeves, the Captain of the Guards quickly sat down. “No need.”

After a pause, he apologized to Xue Yuan, feeling embarrassed.

For the next five or six days, Xue Yuan’s gaze would linger on the Emperor’s lips, glancing at them thousands of times each day. As the swelling gradually subsided, he prepared six sachets of dried flowers, two on his waist and four in his arms, ready for any occasion.

Meanwhile, Gu Yuanbai “learned” of the incident where the Second Prince of Western Xia’s leg was broken by thugs.

He personally visited Li Angyi. Li Angyi sat by the bedside, smiling wryly when he saw Gu Yuanbai, sighing. “If I hadn’t gone out that day to indulge in some food, I wouldn’t have suffered this unexpected misfortune.”

Gu Yuanbai comforted him. “The Imperial Physician said it’s not incurable. Rest assured, just focus on recovering from your injury.”

Li Angyi sighed, looking at Gu Yuanbai. “Do you think this is Heaven’s way of telling me not to leave Daheng?”

Gu Yuanbai smiled faintly, his expression unreadable. “Who knows?”

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